Coalition coming together for overhaul of U.S. 90

Monday

Feb 11, 2013 at 7:57 PM

BATON ROUGE — With no concrete sources of money identified and previous campaigns growing cold, businesses, activists and elected officials across south Louisiana are uniting to recreate the I-49 South Coalition.

Jeremy AlfordCapitol Correspondent

BATON ROUGE — With no concrete sources of money identified and previous campaigns growing cold, businesses, activists and elected officials across south Louisiana are uniting to recreate the I-49 South Coalition. Unlike previous efforts that were largely anchored in Lafayette and supported by Acadiana interests, organizers want the new coalition’s board to consist of representatives from both sides of the interstate project, with 20 members split equally between the west and east. During the term of former Gov. Kathleen Blanco, another nonprofit by the same name had a similar mission to upgrade U.S. 90, the future Interstate 49, from Lafayette to New Orleans. But that cause ended up taking a backseat to the completion of I-49 North in Shreveport and then to the massive overhaul of the 10-12 corridor that links up in Baton Rouge. Considering the projects no longer pose the same kind of competition for money, state Sen. Bret Allain, R-Franklin, said the time is right to reenergize I-49 supporters, get back on track. “We’re going to be holding stakeholder meetings soon and asking people to make an investment,” he said, adding that many chambers from across the region are already on board. Houma-Terrebonne Chamber of Commerce Chairwoman Jennifer Armand said she has not polled local membership on the investment question, but added that interest is strong in the new coalition. “This is important to business and industry,” Armand said. “Both will grow as a result, as will population. The chamber is really excited about it, and we’re eager to hear more.”Allain said you’ll hear more about “The Energy Highway” in the coming months, referring to applications by business and industry. The highway’s importance as a hurricane-evacuation route will also be featured prominently in messaging, he said. Money to pay for it is a bit more sticky. The Lafayette Metropolitan Expressway Commission was considering tolls, but halted its work until the state could finish its own study on the issue, which was expected to be finished at the turn of the year. Allain, who is playing point on the new coalition, is noncommittal on the issue of tolls. “I don’t want to pre-saddle (the coalition) with any preconceived ideas,” he said. The 120 miles of construction could top $5 billion, which is probably why supporters are leaning more toward federal assistance. While the formation of a new coalition is certainly forward movement, those involved expect it could take a decade or more just to get all the moving pieces working in concert.